All the Yorkie Colors You Never Knew Existed – With Cute Pictures!

Yorkshire Terriers are a popular dog breed. With their cute and cuddly look and personality, it’s easy to see why Yorkies are so adorable. But…did you know that there are many different Yorkie colors?

That’s right. The Yorkshire Terrier breed is known for having a variety of coat color combinations. You can have a tan Yorkie, chocolate Yorkie, black Yorkie, and even a blue Yorkie! But how are there so many and are they all purebred?

In this post, you’ll learn about all the different Yorkie colors, why some pups turn out a certain way, and how coat colors can change over time. Get ready to see some super cute Yorkie pictures too!

Yorkshire Terrier – Overview

Yorkshire Terriers are toy dogs with big pup personalities. Weighing no more than 7 pounds, it might surprise you to know they’re feisty, confident, and active. Originally bred as ratters, these pups are alert and pretty brave.

Despite their typical Terrier instinct, Yorkies adapted well to being the favorite lapdogs of Victorian ladies. They require moderate exercise to keep them both physically and mentally fit and will love to chase after cute toys.

If you let your little one’s coat grow long, it will require quite a lot of grooming to keep those locks shiny and healthy. Hair on top of the head should either be trimmed or pulled up into a top knot to avoid eye irritation. Yorkies with short hair require a little brushing and the occasional bath.

Yorkie Puppies Coat Colors

The Yorkshire Terrier puppy coat will likely change as it develops into adulthood. This is common in many dog breeds but especially in Yorkshire Terriers. Some Yorkie mixes, such as the Shorkie, will have other coat colors too!

Black And Tan Yorkie

All purebred Yorkies are born with a black and tan coat. This is one of the primary distinctions between a purebred Yorkie and a non-purebred Yorkie.

The amount, location, and proportion of tan color to black is unique for each purebred Yorkie. However, Yorkie puppies will usually have a black coat with tan markings on the tips of their ears, around their mouth, along their chest, and above their eyes.

Black And Gold Yorkie

Continuing on with all the Yorkshire Terrier colors that exist, black and gold is another beautiful combination. 

Since the shade of a Yorkie puppy as it grows into its adult coat will differ, this creates the black and gold coat colors. This is because the Yorkie puppy’s coat will change as it becomes an adult thanks to the progression/ changing of the Yorkshire Terrier coloring genes. 

Adult Yorkie Colors

As previously mentioned, an adult Yorkie will usually have a different coat than when it was a puppy. This is another aspect that makes Yorkie colors so interesting. 

Not only are there so many different coat colors among the Yorkshire Terrier breed itself, but even from Yorkie to Yorkie, their coat color changes as they grow and mature. The AKC accepts these beautiful dogs in four colors.

Blue And Tan Yorkie

A blue and tan Yorkie is another Yorkshire Terrier coat color possible. The beautiful tan blue coat colors are thanks to the Yorkie’s genes expressing something called “phaelmelanin”.

This fancy term is the gene that expresses the dark blue coloring you see in a blue and tan Yorkie.

Whether you consider this specific Yorkshire Terrier to have a blue and gold coat or blue and tan coat (both detailing the same gold/tan coloring), the official coat color name for this Yorkshire Terrier type is blue and tan. Some pups will look more like tan dogs and others will look a lot darker with more blue markings. Each pup is totally unique!

Blue And Gold Yorkie

The blue and gold Yorkie is the most common color combination for a Yorkshire Terrier once it reaches adulthood. 

The reason behind this is due to the lightening of the Yorkie puppies’ coat colors over time. As a Yorkie puppy gets older, the black coat from birth will lighten. Eventually, their puppy coat will be gone altogether, and the result is a more blue gold coat.

This is fascinating because once your Yorkshire Terrier fully reaches adulthood (at about age 3), you’ll notice your cute black Yorkie puppy will have transformed to a more blue gold coloring.

Rare Yorkie Coat Colors 

Now that we’ve discussed some common Yorkie colors, you should know that the above color combinations are not the only colors that exist.

There are some rare Yorkie colors too. This is thanks to a couple of reasons. First, cross-breeding the Yorkie with other dog breeds.

The second reason is breeders may breed two dogs with recessive genes. This results in making a Yorkie’s coat extremely unique thanks to this recessive gene. 

Parti Yorkie

The Parti Yorkie usually has a more tri-color coat. These three colors are blue, white, and tan. 

A Parti Yorkie is born and bred thanks to breeding two parents with a recessive gene called the “S-Locus”. This recessive gene is what produces the white hair of the Parti Yorkie.

Chocolate Yorkie

This brown dog is another rare Yorkshire Terrier. Chocolate Yorkies are born as a result of crossbreeding a Parti Yorkie with another Parti Yorkie or a more common Yorkie which has the recessive gene that lightens the Yorkie’s coat.

With regards to terminology, the brown Yorkie and chocolate Yorkie are one and the same. Each breeder has their own unique way they advertise this rare Yorkie coat color.

Golden Yorkie

Golden Yorkies have stunning silky coats with blonde and golden locks that are sure to impress. The golden Yorkie has its coloring thanks to the gene called “phaeomelanin”. Here are some more adorable gold and yellow dogs!

Red Legged Yorkie

“Red-legged Yorkies”, or red Yorkies, are another rare type of Yorkie coloring. The red coat pigmentation again comes from a gene called “phaelmelanain”, which provides a reddish/bronze-like hue to the Yorkshire Terrier.

This phaeomelanin gene is the same gene that creates a golden Yorkie’s luscious blonde coat. The only difference here is that the increased amount of melanin in the coat gene creates a darker-looking coat color.

Merle Yorkie

Merle Yorkies are yet another type of Yorkie that has dark spots on their brown, white, or tan hair. What makes this type of Yorkie special is that the coloring is not usually in one specified location.

In other words, although most Yorkies have different coloring on pointed areas of their body, such as their ears or above their eyes, the darker spots found on Merle Yorkies are random.

You may find these spots anywhere on their body. They may even have different colored eyes!

Want to find out more about the merle gene? Have a look at our blog about merle dog breeds here!

Biewer Yorkshire Terrier

The coloring of a Biewer Terrier is a mix of three different colors. This includes color combinations like white, brown, black, and or tan.

What separates this type of dog from the rest of the Yorkies listed above is that this dog is actually a different breed separate from the Yorkshire Terrier breed.

Although both share many similarities, officially speaking, this dog is an entirely separate breed from the Yorkshire Terrier. It is important to note though that the Biewer actually is a breed that developed from Yorkies.

So, although this dog breed, officially known as the “Biewer Terrier” is not a type of Yorkie, they closely resemble each other and share many of the same unique color variations.

Why Are There So Many Yorkie Colors?

While reading this article, you may have wondered: why are there so many different Yorkie colors anyways?

Although we have briefly discussed the importance of aging and genetics when it comes to Yorkie colors, read below to learn a more in-depth explanation of how all these stunning coat color combinations came to be.

Aging 

Yorkshire Terriers, as they grow up, inevitably have some sort of coat color transformation. As Yorkie puppies, a purebred Yorkie is almost always naturally born with a black and tan coat. These distinct darker colors are due to the Yorkie puppy being young.

However, as the Yorkie puppy grows up into its cute little frame, develops its spunky personality, and seamlessly becomes another member of your family, the Yorkie’s coat also changes. This is due to the lightening of the coat over time. 

As the coat lightens, depending on the Yorkie, its coat will transform into a more blue and tan or blue and gold color combination.

Fun Fact: The adult coat of a Yorkie is typically a blue and gold coat. Again, this is all thanks to the lightening effects the Yorkie puppy develops as it becomes an adult Yorkie. This coat change takes into full effect around 2 to 3 years of age for the Yorkshire Terrier.

Genetics

Inevitably, genetics plays a huge role in determining the Yorkie colors that exist.

As mentioned earlier in this article, intentional breeding, especially cross-breeding of a Yorkie with another breed creates stunning, unique Yorkie colors.

Take for instance the Parti Yorkie. Breeders will intentionally breed two parents that they know possess a special recessive gene (the S-Locus gene), to make a Parti Yorkie. Of course, you should only ever adopt a pup that comes from a responsible breeder who is registered and cares about the future health of the breed.

Regardless of age or genetics, Yorkshire Terriers all have stunningly unique, beautiful coats that provide each Yorkie with a distinct coloring that shows off just how cute and cuddly these beloved furry friends can be! 🙂

Color Location

Yorkies may have different spots of color on their bodies and where they are depends on each dog. Many pups have different colors above their eyes, underneath the flaps of each ear or at the point of each ear, and under their tail.

Again, it’s important to remember that each Yorkie is unique. So, the specific coat markings may differ from area to area depending on the dog.

Now You Know All About Different Yorkshire Terriers

All Yorkie colors are so stunningly beautiful. They can have many different combinations and it’s so interesting that most adult pups will have a different coat than when they were Yorkie puppies.

When it comes to price, knowing the color and age of the Yorkie is a major determinant. Most Yorkie puppies can cost anywhere from $600 to $2500 depending on how rare the coat color is, the demand in the area you’re trying to adopt, and whether or not the puppies are purebred.

What’s really important is to research your breeder well. This ensures you’re not paying above average for dogs in your area and that the pups are ethically bred with the health of the breed in mind.

Regardless of if you are looking to get a Yorkie of your own or not, it’s fun to look at all the super cute pictures of the different Yorkie colors out there. Tan Yorkies, blue Yorkies, gold Yorkies, Parti Yorkies, or whatever color Yorkies you prefer, there’s no denying these tiny fur-balls have big hearts, no matter their fur color!

If you’re interested in finding out more about other breed colors, check out our post on all the Husky colors!